The Battle of Life
by jakkujewel
Summary: Rory Harris' life was going perfect then one doctor's appointment changes her life forever. Is she strong enough to withstand the biggest shock of her life? Please R&R thanks.
1. Chapter 1

**The Battle of Life**

**Chapter 1**

"**C**ome on Rory, move it. We're going to be late!" Rosa Harris called from the foyer.

"Coming! Hold on." 14 year-old Rory yelled back at her mom. She was already annoyed that she had to waste a perfectly good Saturday at the doctor's office. It had all started when she began to feel fatigued even though she got 9-10 hours of sleep a day, achy bones and worst of all big ugly bruises which appeared on her arms and legs for no apparent reason. Her mother had then discovered the bruises and insisted she go see her family doctor. Her mother's impatient voice snapped her back into the present. She ran out of her room and out the door. The ride to the clinic was a short one. Rory just stared moodily out the window, while her mother listened to her classical music on the radio for the whole ride. When they entered the small 2-story clinic she was appalled by the number of people waiting to see a doctor and by the smells the room had. When her name was finally called she followed her mom into Dr. Ritchie's cramped office and settled down into one of the velvet-covered chairs. After the preliminary greetings were over Dr. Ritchie got right to the point.

"So, what seems to be the problem Rory?" Dr. Ritchie asked while opening her file.

"Well, I have been feeling very tired lately, my body is all achy and I have these big purple bruises for no reason." I told him patiently.

" I see," answered the doctor while still writing down all that she had said. He then had her sit on the examination table and looked at the bruises and check the inside of her mouth, ears and also took her blood pressure. When he was finally finished checking her over Rory sat back down.

" Do you think anything serious is wrong with my daughter?" asked Mrs. Harris anxiously. Rory just sat back, relaxed and waited for her mother to clear all of her fears.

"Um… its very hard to determine what's causing her to exhibit these symptoms right. I think it would be best to admit her and undergo more test to pinpoint exactly what the problem is."

This is my first ever fan fiction! Hope you liked this chapter and love the following chapters. Please R&R Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

"**W**hat?" Rory practically yelled. She was sure that everyone outside in the waiting room could hear her but she didn't care. "Are you kidding me? You have to be joking!"

"Now, calm down, Rory let's hear what the doctor has to say." Rory quickly brushed off her mother's attempt to sit her down and waited impatiently for the doctor's answer.

"I assure you and your mother that this step is only a precaution, just to perform some tests in order to get to the bottom of this," Dr. Ritchie explained calmly. It didn't matter to her what the doctor said to try to pacify her. It was not going to work. She was annoyed that she was wasting a Saturday here but now she is going to have to waste… who knows how many days at a stupid hospital. It was so unfair. A couple of minutes later she stormed out of his office with her mother trailing behind. When at last they got into their car her mother tried to pacify her.

"It's only for testing, honey. In a couple of days you'll be back in school and back to your normal routine. Don't worry everything is going to be fine." And with that said they were on their way back to their house long enough to inform her dad, 10 year-old sister Trisha and 18 year-old brother Chris on what's happening. They also had to pack Rory's small suitcase with her things, since Dr. Ritchie had advised that she check into their closest major hospital, which was Sandylion General Hospital immediately, which was what her parents had decided to do against her wishes.

When they arrived at SG hospital she took the elevator with her parents, her siblings, and a nurse to the fifth floor and accompanied them to the hospital room, where two beds, two small dressers, and two nightstands filled the room. All that separated the two beds a flimsy, pale blue curtain. Rory was the only occupant, but the nurse told them that another patient could be checked in at any time. While Rory settled in the nurse told them about the hospital routine, meals, TV, visiting hours. She said that lab technicians would be coming in later that evening to draw blood and do simple routine procedures. When she started telling them about how to find a Ronald McDonald House, the facility where families of sick children could stay to be near their kids Rory cut her off.

"I'm not a child. And I don't plan to be here too long." When the overhead PA system announced that visiting hours were over her parents went over and hugged Rory goodbye promising to return tomorrow. When they left she flipped through the channels aimlessly for a while before giving up and turning it off and realized that this was her first night in a hospital alone. _How am I ever going to survive?_ She asked herself.

Hope you like this chapter as well! Please R&R I would like to know what you guys think. Thanks


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

**D**uring the night she woke more than 3 times feeling disoriented, and wondering where she was. Then it all came back to her in a rush. Her visit to the doctor's office, what he said and then finally her admittance to the hospital. She then fell into a restless sleep and again awoke but this time to the breakfast carts rattling into her room. She then forced her self up and experienced a wave of nausea, when it finally passed she cautiously peered under the metal dome covering the tray. What she found was, a heap of scrambled eggs, a slice of toast, apple, orange juice, and milk. _Pretty normal_, she thought before taking a bite out of her toast, and then took a mouthful of scrambled eggs before another wave of nausea took hold of her. When it passed she gave up on eating and just stuck with the orange juice.

When she finished with that she thought of how best to spend her morning since her family was only arriving after noon. She finally decided to tour the hospital, which was to be her temporary home for the next week or so. She started out by touring her own floor first then made her way through all 11 of the floors discovering a well-kept library and playroom on each floor, which she thought of checking out later. When she arrived back in her room she was stopped short at the doorway by voices she didn't recognize. When she slowly enters the room she was surprised to see that there were about 5 or 6 people around the vacant bed, comforting someone on the bed. She immediately felt like an intruder but she knew she couldn't leave, not now. "Um… hello," she said slowly. All eyes quickly turned on her, which made her feel like more of an intruder, but she quickly continued. "My name is Rory Harris, I'm your roommate."

She turned and looked directly to the girl on the bed, which she could fully see now. She now realized that the girl seemed to be around her age, with jet-black hair, blue eyes and medium build. Which was very different to her light brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Lorraine Matthews, and these are my parents. Her parents, Rob and Lurlene Matthews smiled warmly at her, and she smiled politely back. _Cool this isn't so bad, she pretty nice, it doesn't even matter I no longer have my own room. _

When her parents eventually left, the two roommates started to play cards, but were interrupted by a nurse at their door. "Hi, my name is Lacey and I'm one of the night nurse here. Which one of you is named Rory Harris?"

"That's me," I quickly answered.

"Oh, ok I was told to tell you that you're scheduled for a CT scan (a X-ray of her whole body) and an MRI, tomorrow."

Since she was eager to get everything done so she could finally go home and resume a normal life, so when Nisha asked if she was scared she calmly answered, "No".

When her family finally showed up she was overjoyed to see them, because seeing them reminded her there still was a normal sick free world out there.

"Hi mom, hi dad," she yelled the minute they cam through the doorway. To her surprise she was even glad to see her siblings. It was only after they were done hugging Rory, they noticed Nisha in the bed beside her.

"Oh…hello," her mom said hesitantly. "Who are you?"

Hope you liked this chapter. Read chapter 4 to find out what Rory's mom's reaction to seeing Nisha is going to be, and chapter 4 is on its way. Please R&R I would like to know what you guys think. Thanks


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I…um…uh…" Nisha stammered suddenly all nervous.

"Mom, this is Nisha Maria, she is my new roommate," I announced before Nisha could get any redder than she already was.

"Oh I see," replied Mrs. Harris coolly. After that was settled everyone sort of relaxed and before they knew it visiting hours were over.

"Bye Nisha," her mom said before turning Rory's way and saying "See you tomorrow sweetie, after your CT scan and MRI." Since her testing was scheduled for 8 o'clock in the morning, she wouldn't see her mom until after the testing was completed. When her family had gone home, Nisha and Rory prepared for bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning a nurse with a wheelchair awaked her. When she got settled in, the nurse rolled her down to where the testing would take place.

"I'll be back for you soon" she promised before walking away and leaving her to fend for herself. Once all her testing was complete the same nurse came back to wheel her back to her room as promised. Rory told her to stop at the door of her room, that she could wheel herself the rest of the way. When she entered however, she was surprised to find her mother, Mrs. Maria, and Nisha talking to each other by Nisha's bed. She hesitantly wheeled her self inside and said hi to everyone. To her surprise they were all laughing, and chatting like old friends. _Stupid, _she thought to herself_, I'm so stupid. What was she thinking; they were going to yell at her? _

So from then on her days went like clockwork. She would get up, eat breakfast, and then find something to do until her parents arrived.

The Monday after she checked in however her routine changed. Dr. Dollops surprised Rory and her family, by visiting her just before suppertime, with her family physician and another unknown doctor by her side.

"Oh, hi there Dr. Dollops, we weren't expecting you" her mother greeted him.

"What? What's wrong?" Rory asked bewildered. "Your expression is scaring me."

"I told you from the beginning that I'd always level with you," Dr. Dollops said kindly.

"Yes, yes you did," Rory agreed, while taking her mother's offered hand and bracing her self for the news. "What is wrong with me?"

"The tests confirm that you have leukemia, Rory, Acute lymphoblastic leukemia to be exact. I'm very sorry, Rory" Dr. Dollops replied, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Rory has cancer! How will she and her family cope? Continue reading to find out. Please R&R I like reading what you guys think. THANXX


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

At first the words didn't seem real. I can't possibly have leukemia, can I?

"That's a kind of cancer, isn't it?" Rory didn't dare look at her mother's face in fear that she would see the truth.

"Yes," Dr. Dollops confirmed. "What happens is that for no reason whatsoever, a single white blood cell in your bone marrow goes haywire. This mutant cell begins to multiply like wildfire and crowds out your normal red blood cells. You then as a result of that become anemic- that's why you've been feeling tired and listless. Your lymph glands and spleen swell. Yet, your white blood cells are immature, and as they begin to infiltrate your blood stream and organs, you develop bruises and unexplained fevers."

Rory felt numb and sick to her stomach, as if this was a nightmare that she was still trying to wake up from. "What happens now?" Rory asked still recovering from the shock.

"Well, first we will give you a blood transfusion to elevate your red cell count and then you'll look and fell much better. Then we'll start you on a round of chemo, which I hope will put you in remission.

"Remission?"

"That's a halt to the progression of the disease. Once your other doctors and I adjust your levels of chemo, which is pretty strong stuff, you'll be able to go home. You'll then go on outpatient status. You'll come in for more treatments which are called protocols, be hooked up to an infusion pump for a few hours at a time in which you will have more chemo put into you via IV," Dr. Dollops explained.

For a while no one spoke. Rory and her parents were still trying to digest all that they had been told. Rory was the first to break the deafening silence. "This… this chemo stuff is it scary? I mean are there any side effects?"

"Yes," Dr, Dollops declared. "There are some side effects such as loss of hair and appetite, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting etc. The degree of each side effect is different for each person. A full team of different people including dieticians, psychologists, exercise therapists will be in to talk to you and your family in depth about these," he nodded toward her parents who sat tight lipped and silent. "Someone will also be in to talk to you about a technique that we encourage patients to do called imagining, do it, it works trust me." His beeper suddenly went off causing everyone in the room to jump. "Sorry about that," he apologized. Looking straight at Rory he said, "I know you feel very overwhelmed with information right now, but I promise we will fight this thing. Ok, I'll leave you and your family to discuss what you've just been told, I'll be in later." And with that he left, leaving Rory and her family to "discuss" her diagnosis.

"I- I don't understand," Mrs. Harris began.

"What's there to understand, Mom? I have cancer, that's all there is to it! Rory's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Don't worry Rory, we will fight this thing, we will do whatever the doctors say you'll be out of this hospital in no time," her dad said clenching he fists together.

"Dad, mom please I… I really need to be alone right now," Rory told them while walking to her bed and climbing in.

"Um… ok honey no problem, visiting hours are almost up anyways. We'll see you tomorrow," her mom said soothingly while taking her father's hand and heading towards the door.

Rory just continued to hide under the covers and wait. When she was absolutely sure her parents left she started to release all the tears that had been trapped inside her until now. Why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME? She wondered. She cried and cried till she thought she had no more tears left to shed and fell into a fitful sleep. She awoke many times in a cold sweat then cried herself back to sleep.

R& R please. Thanks!


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